With Doflamingo's arrival, the area fell into silence. Not far away, Rosinante gritted his teeth, holding Law tightly in his arms as if someone might snatch the boy away at any moment.
Doflamingo looked around and grinned. "Fuffuffuffu~ Where are Corazon and Law? Why don't they come out to greet me?"
"When I catch you, you can arrange for them to visit you in jail!" Cross snorted.
Rip—
Suddenly, the black cube made of shadows was torn apart, and Vergo climbed out. He immediately saw Doflamingo standing there.
"Doffy, that guy is strong!" Vergo said, covering the wound on his left shoulder with a grim expression.
"Ah, I know..." Doflamingo turned to look at Vergo's injured shoulder, and just as he was about to say something, he noticed that the black cube that had trapped Vergo had turned into dozens of bats. They flew over his head and returned to Cross's feet, reforming into a shadow.
Doflamingo looked at Scáthach with great interest and teased, "Fuffuffuffu~ that shadow doesn't look like you at all! Does this mean you're a trio?"
"Honestly, that's not funny at all!" Cross said with a dismissive pout.
"Fuffuffuffu~" Doflamingo chuckled and turned to Vergo again. "Are you okay? Do you want Giolla to patch you up?"
Vergo shook his head. "I can't move my left arm, but it's not a big deal. I brought hemostatic medicine and bandages!"
"No, you didn't."
"Oh, right~ I didn't!" Doflamingo's words made Vergo suddenly remember that he hadn't brought any hemostatic medicine or bandages with him.
"Enliven: Inorganic Reincarnation."
Rumble—
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. The snow and the frozen soil beneath were torn apart, and an invisible force kneaded them together, forming eight thick tentacles that burst from the ground. Each was over ten meters long, like a giant octopus waving its tentacles. The eight large earth tentacles then straightened, like giant lances, and stabbed at Doflamingo and Vergo from all directions. They created ripples in the air, like those on the surface of water.
"We just met again, old friend. Isn't it a bit heartless to start fighting without even talking?" Doflamingo looked around, talking while waving his hand to release a large amount of almost transparent, thin strings that formed a large net and cut outward.
Sss—
Rumble!
A crystalline light reflected in the air as many nearly invisible, fine strings sliced through the air. They effortlessly cut the eight large earth tentacles into pieces, like a hot knife through butter. A rain of mud, rocks, and snow fell, creating a series of loud rumbling noises and kicking up a large snow mist.
"There's nothing to talk about with a guy like you!" Cross's expression was cold. Scáthach took advantage of the objects obstructing their view, turned into a shadow, elongated itself, and quickly approached Doflamingo along the ground.
"Don't be so absolute. I believe anyone can cooperate!" Doflamingo seemed to have noticed Scáthach's movement. He suddenly flew into the air, his pink feather coat fluttering.
"Spiky Shadow Lizard!" Instantly, Scáthach transformed into a huge black spear that shot toward the sky, but Doflamingo narrowly dodged it. Then, Doflamingo swooped down from the air, his right hand forming a claw shape with five nearly transparent, thin strings at his fingertips. He fiercely aimed his attack at Cross below.
"Goshikito!" The five strings, like sharp piano wires, sliced through the air.
Clang!
Cross swung his sword and blocked Doflamingo's attack, creating a powerful gust of wind pressure. Doflamingo then swung his left hand, and another five almost-transparent strings sliced toward Cross.
Sss!
Cross leaped backward, and five new cracks immediately appeared on the ground, left behind by the other's strings. But just as Doflamingo smiled menacingly and was about to continue his pursuit, a wave of heat came from above, startling him into quickly manipulating the strings on his body to pull himself backward.
Boom!!
The next second, a firebomb the size of a washbasin fell, exploding on the ground like a cannonball and leaving a sizable charred crater.
"Surtur, Flame of Ruin!"
"Yes, Master!"
Doflamingo looked at the malevolent-looking fireball floating in mid-air. After responding to Cross, it opened its mouth and spewed a series of scorching fireballs, each the size of a washbasin, toward him. The color of these fireballs was slightly deeper than that of ordinary flames, which meant they were quite powerful.
"The third Apostle, the fire giant Surtur... What an incredible ability!" Doflamingo, who had collected information on Cross, couldn't help but sigh in admiration. But his hands didn't slow down. He quickly created numerous transparent strings and sent them slicing outward, creating a sizzling sound as they cut through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, several fireballs were sliced in half and exploded in the air, turning into balls of scorching flames. The spreading heat warmed the surrounding frigid air.
"Cora-san!"
"Law, go back!"
Suddenly, two figures—one tall, one small—ran out from a nearby abandoned house. Rosinante had no choice but to bring Law with him since the boy insisted on following him.
Seeing the familiar figures, Doflamingo's menacing smile vanished, and his eyes turned cold. He said in a low voice, "It's been six months, Corazon! Oh~ and Law!"
"What are you doing out here? In this situation, I can't guarantee your safety!" Cross said with a displeased and annoyed tone.
"I'm sorry, Commodore Cross, but this concerns my blood relative, and besides, it's time for this to end!" Rosinante sincerely apologized to Cross.
"Tch~ Whatever," Cross pouted and didn't say anything more.
Rosinante then stared at his biological brother, and their eyes met for a long time, both filled with complicated emotions.
"Marine Codename: 01746! Marine Headquarters Commander Rosinante!" Rosinante no longer hid his identity. He said directly, "Donquixote Family captain Doflamingo... I infiltrated your crew to stop the tragedy you were about to cause. I am a Marine!"
Hearing his brother personally admit he was a Marine, Doflamingo's expression became twisted, and several veins popped on his forehead, clearly showing his anger and murderous intent.
"Fuffuffuffu~" Doflamingo laughed hysterically out of anger and said viciously, "You've really outdone yourself, Corazon! But I don't care about that right now!"
"I only have one question now... The Ope Ope no Mi! Where is the Ope Ope no Mi?!"
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